Trabi Safari

The next time you visit Dresden or Berlin, take an escorted self-drive tour in the German Democratic Republic's two-stroke cult car, the Trabant or Trabi.

ABOVE: A view of Dresden Neustadt from the back seat of a
1980s Trabant. (The red convertible just ahead is also a Trabi Safari
car.)

By Durant Imboden

The
Trabant, a.k.a. the "Trabi," was the people's car of the German
Democratic Republic. In just under 30 years, some 3 million plastic-bodied
Trabant automobiles were manufactured in East Germany, mostly with two-cycle
air-cooled engines that generated more smoke than acceleration. Buyers waited up
to 15 years for their cars, and in some cases parents would order Trabis for
delivery when their babies reached driving age or adulthood.

Trabant production ended shortly after the reunification of
Germany (or "the change," to use a term popular in the East). Residents of the
former GDR rushed to buy Volkswagens, Opels, and other German cars, abandoning
their Trabants by the side of the road or selling them to poorer neighbors for
nominal sums (in some cases, as little as one Deutschmark, or about 25 U.S.
cents). Fortunately, about 100,000 Trabants escaped the
scrap heap and have become "cult cars" with collectors and nostalgia buffs.
About 60 restored Trabants are in use by
Trabi Safari, which offers
self-drive escorted tours in Dresden and Berlin.

Tour the town in a Trabi

The
"Trabi Safari" concept is simple: You drive your own Trabant (sharing it with
friends, if you like). A tour guide leads your convoy of up to seven Trabis, giving commentary
and driving directions through the car radio. Tours last
approximately 90 minutes.

A few caveats:

The Trabant has a column-shift manual transmission, which may feel odd if
you're accustomed to floor-mounted stick shifts. (Chances are, you'll adapt
quickly, because the low-powered engine will require you to practice
shifting gears almost constantly.)

When you're driving, you won't have much time for looking at
the sights, because you'll be focusing on the road ahead, on shifting gears,
and on avoiding bicycles, pedestrians, and other cars. Our advice: Switch
off with your passengers when you get tired of being the driver.

You'll need your driver's license, so don't leave it at home
if you want to putt-putt around Dresden or Berlin in a Trabi.

If you live outside the EU, a tax-free Renault or Peugeot tourist car lease can be cheaper than renting for visits of three weeks or longer. Minimum driver age is 18, there' s no upper age limit, and rates include insurance.